The Pentagon signed two framework agreements Friday with Boeing and RTX to expand production of critical components for the Standard Missile-3, the Navy’s primary ship-launched interceptor against ballistic missiles.
The deals cover avionics and ejector assemblies Boeing supplies to prime contractor Raytheon, an RTX business, for both the SM-3 Block IB and the newer Block IIA. Both variants…
Patriot makers hedge on Ukraine production deal as officials question cause of hold-up
August 17, 2026
KYIV, Ukraine — Though U.S. President Donald Trump promised Kyiv a license to build Patriot missile interceptors last month, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have begun putting the brakes on a joint-production deal as executives weigh what is “feasible” and the licensing…
US Marines roam far and wide from temporary Darwin base
August 14, 2026
This year marked the 15th deployment of U.S. Marines to Australia under the Marine Rotation Force-Darwin (MRF-D) initiative, but this year’s rotation looked different from the rest because of its certification as a Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force…
VIENNA — Russian state-aligned military forces operating in the Central Sahel relied on at least 75 flights by military and military-linked aircraft between January 2025 and July 2026, according to a new analysis by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies, a Washington-based research organization that tracks illicit networks.
The report, published Wednesday, examined Automatic Dependent…
Boeing revealed an ultra-low-cost radar seeker Tuesday as this year’s Space and Missile Defense Symposium kicked off in Huntsville, Alabama, pitching it as a way to get missile guidance on more weapons for less money.
Installed in the nose of a missile or bomb, the seeker…
Army opens test ranges to private industry
August 13, 2026
The Army is opening military test ranges to private industry, the service announced this month, including a Michigan site where companies can test drones and counter-drone systems against electronic warfare conditions modeled after those in Ukraine.
Companies will be able…
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he secretly switched planes in Turkey last month at the direction of the Secret Service, but that the plane he ultimately flew on was still more vulnerable than Air Force One.
Following a NATO summit in Ankara, Trump was transferred from Air Force One to a military plane via a catering truck in an extraordinary deception prompted by an Iranian assassination…
MANILA, Philippines — A senior Pentagon official pushed back against reports that the U.S. military’s stockpiles and capabilities are strained following Operation Epic Fury, while reaffirming Washington’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific amid China’s increasingly…
Pentagon gives industry 21 days to submit plans for ‘significantly faster’ weapons production
August 12, 2026
Recent combat with Iran has put pressure on U.S. munitions stockpiles as the Pentagon pushes defense companies to accelerate production and delivery of critical weapons.
Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg told defense-industry leaders in an Aug. 5 memo that they have 21…
Lockheed Martin on Monday announced the launch of Strigo, a new line of modular missile and sensor hardware, along with a dedicated product center designed to get weapons into the field faster. The line covers radio-frequency sensors, missile datalinks and missile seeker technologies, all built on a common baseline architecture.
The company said the shared architecture allows Strigo hardware to…
